ROK-U.S. partnership in 21st century

Following is the third in a series of articles on the United States` relations with Asia, especially the Korea-U.S. alliance, in time for U.S. President Barack Obama`s Asia trip this and last week. - Ed.

By Ohm Tae-am

When Korean President Lee Myung-bak arrived in Washington D.C. in June 2009 to meet U.S. President Barack Obama, the first thing he did was to meet with several core secretaries of the Obama administration to exchange opinions about pending issues.

At the meetings with U.S. officials including Ron Kirk, chief of staff of the U.S. Trade Representative, Lee positively appraised the continued development of the economic relations between Korea and the United States. He stressed that the early effectuation of the Korea-U.S. FTA would strengthen the overall bilateral alliance and bring economic benefits to both countries. Since the announcement of the conclusion of the KORUS-FTA in April 2007, Korea has taken more steps than the United States to highlight to its people the expected positive effects of the KORUS-FTA.

In contrast, the United States has found itself unable to fix a definite timetable for ratification of the FTA by Congress, due to dissatisfaction with the outcomes of the negotiations concerning the U.S. export of beef and cars. Personally, President Barack Obama believes in the free trade system, but he finds it difficult to confront the workers that form his support base.

The world is watching to see how President Obama will solve the myriad of problems troubling his country, as this will definitely have an impact on the international community. The problems include the protracted wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and Iran`s nuclear program, which make it difficult to cut the country`s defense budget ($680 billion in 2010). They also include the unemployment rate, which stood at 10.2 percent in October, although the real unemployment rate is said to stand at 17.5 percent; and health insurance reform, in which he finds it difficult to forge a national consensus, although he is confident of the need for reform.

The economy appears to be the most troublesome problem the Obama Administration is experiencing. The U.S. government can`t easily stop its expansive currency policy. Nor can it aggressively push ahead with additional stimulus packages amidst the controversy over the exit strategy. Lying in the center of the situation is the country`s budget deficit that exceeded $1 trillion by the end of last June.

The alliance between countries should be formed on the basis of effective functionality supported by physical strength as well as the sense of symbolic and psychological security that they will come to "our" aid in times of difficulty. Korea could build prosperity after overcoming the crisis caused by the Korean War started by the North in June 1950. During the three-year war, the U.S. dispatched a total of 360,000 troops to Korea`s aid, 35,000 of whom died. Since then, the United States has provided a solid combined defense capability. The average Korean`s view of the military alliance with the United States is very positive because, in many cases, the country`s accomplishments in various sectors are associated with U.S. aid during and after the Korean War.

President Lee`s policy line of making a positive contribution to the international community based on alliances, can provide strong support to the Obama administration in connection with its efforts to reinforce U.S. global leadership through collaboration with its allies.

The collaboration between the two countries as allies that share the same values and ideologies embodies the Joint Vision for the ROK-U.S. alliance in the 21st century agreed to last June.

Koreans are discussing how the alliance with the United States ought to continue in the 21st century and how they can bring this about. One of the leading examples of such discussions regards the development of an efficient system of alliance able to contribute to international cooperation, while maintaining a powerful joint defense capability in connection with the transfer of the wartime operational control to the ROK, scheduled for 2012.

An important change recently found among Koreans is that they appear to have a clearer awareness about the need to contribute to the international community, albeit within a limited capacity. The majority of Koreans think that the ROK-U.S. alliance should be developed strategically in a way that can meet changes in the international security environment.

The USFK can make the most of a whole new base complex upon completion of the relocation of its bases to an area near Pyongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, for which preparations have been made for more than 5 years. Recently, the Korean government decided to guarantee the Humphrey Housing Opportunity Program for at least 45 years. The HHOP is a plan to provide 3,000-plus modernized residences, constructed by a ROK-U.S. construction consortium at an expense of 1.7 trillion won ($1.4 billion), to U.S. troops and their families in the Pyongtaek area on a long-term lease. Such a generous arrangement would not have been possible without a firm commitment of the Korean side to the reinforcement of the ROK-U.S. alliance. No country has ever made such an arrangement for foreign troops stationed in its territory.

Cooperation upgraded one notch higher is needed if the ROK-U.S. alliance is to contribute to the peace, stability and prosperity of the international community in the future. The bilateral FTA, which has yet to be ratified by either parliament more than two years after its signing, is one issue that could help strengthen the two countries` partnership.

Both countries might have finished calculations about the economic effects of the KORUS-FTA. U.S. carmakers` concerns over the KORUS-FTA will be short lived as most of the tariff barriers in Korea (8 percent for passenger cars and parts and accessories for automobiles and 10 percent for trucks from the United States) will be eliminated on the date the KORUS-FTA enters into force.

More realistically, coolheaded judgment should be used concerning whether Korea`s import rules contributed to the recent situation in which major U.S. carmakers narrowly escaped bankruptcy. In the 2000s, the Korean import car market grew 15-fold, but the share of U.S.-built cars in the Korean market dropped by half to a little more than 10 percent.

For one thing, it is an unavoidable fact that measures taken by the Korean government concerning the opening of its doors to imports under the KORUS-FTA have not been sufficient. In mid-December 2008, the international press reported on Korean lawmakers engaged in acts of violence. The ruling party lawmakers, who were for the KORUS-FTA bill, blockaded a meeting room with chairs and desks and opposition lawmakers, who were against the bill, tried to sledgehammer their way into the blockaded meeting room. The New York Times called it "an act showing violent democratic behavior unique to Korea."

However, the lawmakers` acts of violence might be viewed as more than just a reason to jeer. The opposition lawmakers tried to block the KORUS-FTA bill from being submitted to the National Assembly in a desperate attempt to protect farmers whose livelihoods would be threatened due to the opening of the market to imported food under the FTA.

The KORUS-FTA is a result of a series of tumultuous negotiations that secured the basis of mutually lucrative cooperation, based on the principle of comparative superiority, under the free trade system. Now, the two countries should strive for the effectuation of the treaty, trying to persuade people about its viability by offering appropriate supplementary measures if necessary.

It is natural that Koreans should expect more from the KORUS-FTA than Americans, considering the fact that Korea`s dependence on foreign trade stands over 90 percent in 2008, compared to the United States` 20-something per cent. Nonetheless, the KORUS-FTA offers several items of significance for the United States, too. First of all, it can be a bridgehead for U.S. companies into the Northeast Asian market, one that undeniably would aid its economic recovery. Given its size of economy and technological level, Korea must be the most suitable partner for cooperation among about 25 countries wishing to sign FTAs with the United States. It should also be taken into account that the KORUS-FTA is a worthy choice as a long-term arrangement aimed at coping with the ever-growing influence of China and the East Asian Community Initiative. Will the United States be able to recover its leadership in the international community, including Asia, while neglecting ratification of the KORUS-FTA? Or what kind of leadership could the U.S. take at the G20 Summit 2010 to be held in Seoul, if it neglects to respect the free trade system?

Recently, the Korean government, under the leadership of President Lee Myung-bak, has taken a series of steps for substantial contribution to the international community. In mid-October 2009, the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked for the Korean government`s prompt actions regarding three matters: payment of back dues for international organizations, including the U.N.; the passage of the PKO bill through parliament; and adoption of the 30 percent reduction of greenhouse gas initiative.

As Korea is indebted to the United Nations more than any other, its government will double its efforts to comply with the U.N. head`s request. Even before Mr. Ban Ki-moon`s request, the Korean government already had decided to increase the 2010 budget amount for enhanced responsibility and role in the international community. In a way, the decision recently made by the Korean government to seriously consider dispatching some 130 members of a Provincial Reconstruction Team to Afghanistan, together with about 250 troops assigned to protect them, should have been made earlier. That is because Korea is a country making various efforts to build its influence in the international community, including chairing the G20 Summit in the coming next year.

Concerning the bilateral relations between the two Koreas, one characteristic of the diplomatic policies taken by the Lee Myung-bak administration toward the North is pragmatism, aimed at authentic improvement of bilateral relations, rather than ideological propensity or sentimental judgment. The conciliatory gestures recently shown by the North toward the South appear to be a result of the common sense-based pragmatic approach adopted by the Lee Myung-bak administration refusing to provide material support if the North is engaged in wrongful behavior. It is totally up to the North whether the South`s offer of support is taken through the so-called "Grand Bargain."

Recently, various scholars, lawmakers and experts in the United States are known to make remarks about various positive effects of the KORUS-FTA. According to the result of the USTR`s survey of public opinion on the FTA, carried out until Sept. 15, 91.8 percent of interested people in Korea said that they were for the KORUS-FTA as it was, while 85 percent of interested parties in the United States also thought so. This is good news for Koreans who have watched developments following the signing of the FTA on June 30, 2007.

The ROK-U.S. strategic alliance should continue to remain firmly in place if the Korean Government`s commitment for contribution to the international community and pragmatic approach toward the North is to bear substantial fruit. The bilateral alliance will form the solid basis for U.S. efforts to reinforce its strategic interest in the Asia-Pacific region and regain its strong leadership in the international community. And the reinforcement of mutual trust through the ratification and effectuation of the KORUS-FTA will be an important medium for effectual embodiment of the strategic alliance between the two countries.

2009.11.18

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